With both chambers of Maryland’s legislature having recently passed bills to establish a psychedelics task force to study legal access to substances like psilocybin and DMT, committees in the opposite chambers have now received those measures and voted to advance them along in the lawmaking process.

On Wednesday, the House Health and Government Operations Committee approved SB 1009 on a voice vote, with no discussion on the proposal at the hearing. The full Senate approved that psychedelics bill earlier this month in a unanimous 45–0 vote.

The House companion, meanwhile—HB 548, which passed that chamber on a 136–1 vote on March 13—advanced through the Senate’s Finance Committee as part of a voice vote on a package of multiple bills on Tuesday.

The legislation, if it becomes law, would establish a “Task Force on Responsible Use of Natural Psychedelic Substances” that would be overseen by the Maryland Cannabis Administration (MCA). It would be charged specifically with ensuring “broad, equitable and affordable access to psychedelic substances” in the state.

Members of the task force would be required to examine and make recommendations on issues such as “permitting requirements, including requirements regarding education and safety,” “access to treatment and regulated support” and “production

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